Professional Re-Orientation & Positioning

Clarification of terms: Professional Re-Orientation & Positioning

Use of the terms

The special expertise of Roter Faden Consulting (“Red Thread Consulting”) are the
realms of (strategic) positioning and orientation.

As “[Strategic] Positioning” is more commonly used in connection with self-employed people but especially with companies and businesses, the topic can be found under this very headline at www.roter-faden-consulting.de

“Positioning” is sometimes also used in a very limited way in Marketing:

⇒ Through which communication channels should we advertise?
⇒ Which measures to use to spread a certain  message?

These questions will be part of the process, but a small one and only towards the end.

We here at Roter Faden / Red Thread use the two terms often synonymously, as we take a very holistic view of the topic.

Differences

The processes are similar.
During the professional reorientation process of a private individual, the question will arise at some point as to whether the issues identified are best pursued as an employee or as a freelancer (a business does obviously have other challenges).

Another example is the so-called Target Groups in a positioning process:
The term in a professional reorientation process would rather be “a list of potential employers”, which meet the criteria that were generated in and through the process (unless that person does want to go for freelancing).. 

And a third example may be the “profiling and implementation” phase, which starts towards the end of such a process: A company’s positioning process is about how the whole thing can be implemented in the best possible way and also about how to align in a suitable and compatible way the fields of leadership, communication and sales.
In the case of “professional reorientation”, on the other hand, it is more about how to win the “dream job” with the “best employer [according to the process]”. Secondly we’ll also talk about what good approaches there are towards successful self-marketing and in regard to  appropriate communication.

Professional Re-Orientation & Positioning

Why do I want to reorient myself professionally?

That’s a really good question!
Most people who come to me with such a request have not been feeling well in their job for some time.
This can be related to the work task or also to the boss, colleagues and company culture.
It may be that you feel that you are not yet or no longer in the right place with YOUR particular strengths, inclinations, skills and characteristics.
The “why” alone is worth working out and looking at!

I have already had clients who suddenly enjoyed their work again after a process with the Red Thread. And others who have left and found their way into another company or self-employment.

Would you like us to find out and discover your “why” together?
Write to me -> link to contact form, I look forward to hearing from you!

What is a career change?

A professional reorientation can mean that you remain “true” to your profession but look for a new working environment.
Or it can mean that you specialize and focus even more clearly within your professional field.

Or thirdly – and of course this is also possible – that you reposition yourself in a completely different professional field.   

When to reorient yourself professionally?

If you have been feeling dissatisfied with your work for some time, I recommend that you actually look into this in the short term.
Not always, but very often, life is knocking on our door to tell us that it is time to change something.
If life also means “the best possible development of your self”, you should take the knocking seriously; and even when resistance arises to attend to these signals, it may also be interesting(!).
Don’t fight – look!

What does professional reorientation mean?

As explained above under -> Link to “What is a professional reorientation?”, this can go in many different directions.
It may also involve some challenges, but it is always worth looking to see where the Red Threads are leading you.
With an optimal process and maximum openness, a completely new quality of joie de vivre can emerge.

Would you like to know more and are you interested? Write to me.

How can a professional reorientation be successful?

I recommend that you follow the “4+1 aspects of successful positioning”, here is an overview of the first four:

1. The heart aspect

If you want to be successful, you have to really enjoy doing what you do for people and/or companies that suit you.

Ask yourself the following key questions:

• What are my passions?
• What am I passionate about?
• What is really close to my heart? And what are my visions and goals?
  
  And:
• Which target group would I love to work with? This could be people and/or companies or organizations. If you are employed and want to stay employed, look at the list of your most favorite potential employers(!) – what are they like? What industries are we talking about?
• Why especially this very target group?
• Why am I passionate about serving these people by solving their problems?

2. The Plus for strengths and skills

You may have often heard that you should become aware of your own strengths.
What makes you stand out in particular?
Make it (much) more concrete than just “customer-oriented” and “competent”.
What does that mean in your case exactly?  

Questions that point the way here:

• What exactly are my strengths and special qualities?
• What strengths and skills does no one else have apart from me?
• What additional skills do we need in order to offer optimal solutions for the heart target group? And can we organize them ourselves or do we need suitable partners?
  

3. Profitability and finances

Part of a successful positioning process is also to consider the question of money, as a comparison with the current situation and as an indicator of whether the positioning is promising. This is not about maximizing profits, as in traditional business administration, but about maximizing benefits, because the Red thread principle is based on the bottleneck-focused strategy according to Prof. Wolfgang Mewes (1924-2016).
Again – refer to the income, you can generate and want to generate, if you are in an employed situation.

It is about energy balancing.

Questions that are correctly located here:

• How much is it worth to the target group that their bottleneck (= most burning problem, see below) is solved?
• What are their own sales and income expectations?
• How solvent is the favorite target group (which can also be target companies) really?

 4. Lightning as a symbol for energy

The energy aspect is very important in a successful positioning process.
It is already contained in the term “burning problem” (= bottleneck):
The more urgent the solution to the problem is, the higher the “suffering energy” on the part of your customers or your potential employer.
What are your solutions or how can you contribute to solutions?
At the same time, the purpose of a serious positioning process is also to solve your own bottlenecks(!). So you look at both sides of the business and ideally bring them together in such a way that things run better from now on because disruptive factors have been strategically eliminated.

Questions that will help you move forward:

• What exactly is the most burning bottleneck of your target group?
• How exactly does it manifest itself?
• How great is the “suffering” of the target group and what would it be worth to them to get a good solution to the problem?
  

And also:

• What is my own biggest current bottleneck?
• What effect does it have and how does it hinder further (company) development?
• Can the bottleneck be solved by myself, or what support is needed?

A brief look at the interactions: 

As described above, there are strong interactions between the 4 aspects.
It is really helpful – in the literal and figurative sense of the word – to get moving.
The following examples illustrate what is meant by interactions:

• You can “fall in love” with a target group (or a group of potential desired employers in a desired industry) no matter how much:
  If they don’t have the means to compensate or pay you appropriately, you should maybe
  administer some fine-tuning to your positioning.
• All your skills and strengths are of no use to you if they do not meet what you at least feel is a burning bottleneck (i.e. an or target employers) … an open problem for your target customers!
• At the same time, it is important to work out your strengths and competencies so clearly that you alone can solve the given problem (as well as possible).

5. And the fifth aspect relates to “external circumstances”?

Check whether there are external factors that you can hardly or not at all influence that affect your
your professional reorientation.
These could be political circumstances, economic crises, technological influences in an industry or other regulatory changes or requirements.
It’s not about throwing your positioning and reorientation work in the garbage can if there are factors – it’s about possibly fine-tuning again.

Follow the lead question “How do I need to adapt my (new) orientation/orientation so that I can be successful under the given circumstances?”.

In individual cases, you may even need to question the place where you want to do this and examine alternatives.

Would you like to be accompanied on this path of reorientation and its subsequent implementation? I look forward to hearing from you.

How do I write about professional reorientation?

Writing is a good idea to start with.
In the previous section you will find a number of guiding questions that you can use to start working on your own – if you wish.

Or you can get help right away at hh@roter-faden-coaching.de

How do I manage a professional reorientation?

What you need in any case is courage. Consistency. And openness.
If you have that, then you can do it.

Career reorientation as a career changer

It is very much possible to enter a professional field in which you may not have been at home before – whether employed or self-employed. And in many countries the compulsive need or demand for degrees, certificates of evidence that you studied whatever is not as strong as e.g. in Germany.  

Reinventing yourself is always a good idea, but the principle of “from the inside out” always applies.

As part of a positioning process for professional reorientation, we focus on two things – on the one hand on our own core to be discovered and uncovered; ask yourself what is it that really defines me and only me? And secondly, on the “most burning bottleneck” of a (desired) target group;
even if you are “new” to the field, consistent concentration can result in a learning spiral that will make you an expert in the foreseeable future.

Once again – to avoid misunderstandings: This is not about an “ego trip” of any kind, but about what you can give in your special way – something you may not event have known or if at all dimly suspected, because it was hidden inside yourself.

In this way, it is also possible to reorient yourself professionally as a career changer – beyond some point the question is no longer relevant, as the target group is happy to have its bottleneck removed and as you create your own “profession” with increasing specialization.

Professional reorientation over 50

There are people who want to reinvent themselves at over 50 and those who feel they “have to”.
Yes, of course such a new start at over 50 can be a particular challenge – but at the same time it can be perhaps the greatest adventure of your life.

Would you like to talk to me about your starting situation and how it could work out?
Contact me, I look forward to hearing from you.